How do Indian clothing sizes compare to US sizes?

Indian women's clothing is usually numbered by the bust measurement in inches, so a size 38 fits a 38 inch bust, which is roughly a US 8. Indian footwear follows UK sizing, so a US men's size is about one number higher than the Indian number and a US women's size is about two higher. Rings use a different scale entirely and should be matched by inside diameter in millimetres.

The safest habit with any Indian listing is to ignore the letter on the label and read the measurement chart instead. Indian womenswear is cut to numeric sizes that correspond to the bust in inches, which is why you see 34, 36, 38 and 40 far more often than S, M and L. When a letter is given it is mapped from those numbers, and different makers map them differently, so the same L can be a 38 from one workshop and a 40 from another. Menswear is generally more predictable because shirts are sold by chest inches and trousers by waist inches, the same convention as the US.

Footwear is simpler than it looks. India uses UK sizing, so the conversion is arithmetic rather than guesswork: add roughly one to get a US men's size, roughly two to get a US women's size. Widths run narrower than American lasts on average, so if you are between sizes or wear a wide fitting, size up rather than down. Sandals and juttis are less forgiving than trainers here because there is no give in the upper.

Two things surprise first-time buyers. A saree is one size, about five and a half metres of fabric, and the fitted part is the blouse, which usually arrives unstitched with extra fabric at the seams so a tailor can finish it to you. A choli or a fitted kurta often comes the same way. That margin is deliberate and is not a defect. Ring sizes are the other trap: the Indian scale runs by number from about 1 to 30 and does not line up with the US scale at all, so measure the inside diameter of a ring that fits and match that in millimetres.

Related questions

What is the quickest way to get the size right?

Measure a garment you already own while it is lying flat, double the chest or bust width, and match that number to the listing's chart. This beats converting between size systems, because it compares the actual garment to the actual garment.

Do Indian sizes run small?

Compared with American ready-to-wear, generally yes, both in the numbers and in the cut through the shoulder and hip. If you are between two sizes on the chart, take the larger one.

Can I return something that does not fit?

Not on an Aalacart order. Returns cover damage and defects only, because return freight across an ocean usually costs more than the item. That is exactly why the measurement chart is worth two minutes before you order.